Marit Otterlei

This PhD project is part of NTNU’s interdisciplinary research effort on preparedness and response to antimicrobial resistance, described as “the silent pandemic.” The advertised PhD candidate will join one of four closely coordinated projects and work within a collaborative environment that links molecular and clinical research with broader interdisciplinary expertise. The project focuses on discovering and characterizing new antimicrobial peptides derived from human plasma. These peptides may act as stand-alone antibacterials or may strengthen the effect of existing antibiotics. The student will work on identifying novel peptide candidates, studying how they act on bacteria, mapping bacterial targets and vulnerabilities, and optimizing promising leads for further evaluation. A key part of the project is testing antibacterial activity against clinical antimicrobial-resistant isolates and comparing activity alone and in combination with antibiotics. The research therefore combines peptide screening, mechanistic studies, and experimental work aimed at understanding how these molecules can be developed as new antimicrobial tools. The position is based at the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. IKOM is described as NTNU’s largest department, with broad expertise in basic, clinical, and translational research across infectious disease and related biomedical areas. The project is led within a wider NTNU research network involving Professor Marit Otterlei and Professor Heidrun Åm, with close collaboration expected across the integrated PhD projects. The candidate will also work closely with the related PhD project on mode of action, activity, and optimal combinations in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, creating opportunities to collaborate across disciplines and methods.

This PhD position is part of the NTNU interdisciplinary research project “Preparedness and Response to AMR, the silent pandemic” , linking clinical and molecular medicine with social science perspectives across several closely coordinated doctoral projects. The successful candidate will work at the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, within a broad, international research environment. The project focuses on rapid precision diagnostics for severe infection , especially bloodstream infection and sepsis. The doctoral work aims to develop and optimize a method for magnetic nanobead-based enrichment of bacterial and yeast pathogens directly from whole blood, combined with rapid nucleic acid extraction and sensitive molecular and mass spectrometry-based detection. The research addresses the challenge of identifying low-abundance pathogens against a complex host background, with the goal of enabling faster and more accurate diagnosis for patients with bloodstream infections. The PhD candidate will contribute to method development and optimization, work closely with researchers and students in the research group, and collaborate with other candidates in the wider interdisciplinary AMR project. The position offers an opportunity to engage in doctoral research that connects microbiology, molecular medicine, diagnostics, and biomedical technology, while contributing to academic publications and dissemination. The project is led within NTNU by Professors Marit Otterlei and Heidrun Åm , and local contact for the position is Professor Jan Egil Afset .

This PhD opening is based in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, within the Microbial Biotechnology research division. The project is part of a larger NTNU-funded research effort on preparedness and response to antimicrobial resistance. It is embedded in the Bruheim research group, which works on deep phenotyping of prokaryotic and eukaryotic model systems using advanced cultivation technology and mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, fluxomics and lipidomics. The specific project focuses on emerging technologies to characterize the mode of operation and activity of synthetic and natural peptides with potent antibacterial activity against important pathogenic bacteria. The student will work with mass spectrometry-based analysis at metabolite and protein levels, metabolic flux characterization, microbial cultivation, and bioanalytical assays. The opening involves close collaboration with the Otterlei lab and with another coordinated PhD project in the same research programme. The post is situated in a strong, international research environment at NTNU, with scope for doctoral training, publications and dissemination.